Reserve manager Larry Blacker said it seemed someone had reversed a vehicle off Jubilee Way and left the waste at the entrance to the edge-of-town attraction.

He said the rubbish included a large amount of soil and vegetation, wire mesh fencing, wood and empty concrete bags.

Another view of the dumped waste

“It’s a shame that people won’t follow the law. They would rather dump on private land. That under-cuts genuine people who are following the process properly,” he said.

Annoyed members of the public added their comments about the incident on Facebook.

Some said reputable builders would not have been responsible for the fly-tipping as they would have disposed of their waste in a legal way.

Others criticised people for employing cut-price contractors, who they claimed cut their costs by fly-tipping rather than taking the matter to landfill sites.

Mr Blacker said he had reported the incident, which was the second example of fly-tipping at the reserve this year, to Tewkesbury Borough Council.

The council's head of community services, Peter Tonge, said: "We can confirm that the incident by the nature reserve has been reported to the council and we are currently investigating and in the process of clearing the site.

"The Northway incident had not been reported, but we are now trying to identify the location in order to deal with it as swiftly as possible.

"We would encourage residents to report fly-tipping via the council website. By doing this, the community assists us to get it cleared quickly and there is also a greater chance of us finding those responsible. Tewkesbury Borough Council is taking a firm stance with fly-tippers in the area and we will be looking to prosecute offenders."